Sumaya Elkashif (M.A Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe, B.A Howard University, Human Rights Expert. EU/Africa, Afro-Diaspora Migration, & Conflict)

Since mid-October 2025, stories of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria have spread rapidly on social media platforms. United States Senator Ted Cruz joined many fellow conservative lawmakers in claiming that 50,000 Christians have been “massacred” in Nigeria since 2009, without any reference to sources1. Concordantly, TV show host Bill Maher stated “This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza,” and “They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country”2.

These narratives reached the highest echelons of US politics, with President Donald Trump concluding that Christianity is facing an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatening both military action and an immediate end to development aid to the nation. Most recently, following Trump’s statements, the U.S Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz (a Trump appointee), even invited celebrity rapper Nicki Minaj to present a speech on religious freedom and Christian persecution at the United Nations in New York. This narrative and all these statements derive from a viral video amplified in a vast disinformation campaign promoted by Christian, Nigerian non-governmental organizations.

On October 15th, 2025, Nigerian pastor Ezekiel Dachomo posted a video of himself standing in a burial ground with several covered bodies decrying a “Christian genocide” in his own country. He yelled and pleaded for the help of President Trump’s Special Advisor on “religious matters” to save Christians in Nigeria.

Among Dachomo’s statements: “Muslims are out to get us;” “They are killing Christians in Nigeria, massacring Christians;” “If they say they are killing Muslims, these Muslims are being killed. By who? By Muslims?!” (0:50-0:56)3. Since the video was posted, several clips have been widely shared on social media platforms. While Dachomo’s claims are grave in nature, only Christian NGOs and local Nigerian church groups have supported them. Conversely, UNHCR, Amnesty International, among other notable human rights agencies stationed locally, have not reported any Christian targeted killings in Nigeria.

Ultimately, this focus on the killings of Christians specifically, hides a greater political context of long-existing terrorism and instability in northern Nigeria, instead seeking to reframe these systemic issues within a paradigm of religious enmity and persecution. The north of Nigeria, a Muslim majority region, has faced Islamist insurgencies since 2009 from Boko Haram and its branch group, Islamic State – West African Province (ISWAP), whose stated aim is to transform Nigeria from a secular state into an Islamic one.

Boko Haram’s ideology is embodied in its name, which translates to “Western education is forbidden”. Muslims and Christians alike are targets of this terrorism, with Muslim Nigerians having faced the brunt of the attacks. While Boko Haram’s attacks on churches outnumbered those on mosques prior to 2015, this trend has reversed since4. Beyond attacks on places of worship, Muslim Nigerians have always been Boko Haram’s primary victims5.

Framing the terrorism crisis as a “Christian genocide” falsely promotes a one-sided narrative that Christians are being disproportionately targeted and ethnically cleansed, consequently erasing the suffering of thousands of Muslim Nigerians. This narrative distracts from the root issue which stems from terrorism and socioeconomic issues. Moreover, this politically manufactured disinformation narrative seeks to brew religious division, Islamophobia, and feed into the Christian persecution complex, the belief that Christians are continuously being oppressed for their religious beliefs despite holding dominant power and protection in society.

In effect, divisive statements such as those made by Pastor Ezekie, equate Muslims with terrorists, as demonstrated by his statements claiming that Muslims are safe from attacks since islamic terrorists would not attack “their own”. In reality, terrorism does not discriminate. All who do not fit the “true muslim” characterization of Boko Haram and ISWAP are at risk.

Beyond the deeply concerning regional implications, these claims have been successfully weaponized by Washington. The narrative of Christian genocide in Nigeria bolsters the U.S administration’s agenda to paint Christians, a dominant and protected group in the U.S, as oppressed. Exaggerations of the Christian condition are not new. From the “Great Replacement Myth” where Europeans and Americans claim that white and Christian populations are being replaced by Muslim, Black, and Brown populations, to the mere offense when “merry christmas” is interchanged with “happy holidays”, the perception that Christianity is under attack is still deeply intertwined in Western society (persecution complex).

Christian nationalism, the political ideology supporting the mixing of Christianity with national government, fundamentally holds Christianity above other religions6. Despite separation of church and state, there is an underlying societal belief that the United States should strictly be a Christian nation. Christian nationalism shows its teeth more often during times of perceived threat, such as the current period of economic volatility, culture wars, and immigration debates7.

Christian nationalism craftfully weaponizes disinformation and promotes narratives that exaggerate Christian suffering, an observable behavior in the United States’ elevation of Christian genocide claims from Nigeria. President Trump’s claims that Christians are facing an “existential threat” is disinformation that further invisibilizes the suffering of real marginalized religious groups, notably Muslims, both in Palestine and the United States. This show of Christian nationalism not only detracts from marginalized groups’ struggles but blatantly promotes the value of Christian life over other lives. From Congressmen Cruz, to Bill Maher, and now the President, the Christian genocide myth is also being used to further justify breaching another nation’s sovereignty in the name of “saving Christians”.

When Nigerians are pleading President Trump to save Christians, they are inadvertently promoting Christian nationalism and U.S intervention in their nation. Nigeria is a West African powerhouse home to key resources like oil and lithium, all resources sought out by the United States. The Trump administration is using the genocide myth as a tool for both a cultural war and resource grab.

From Nigeria to the United States, the manipulation of crises for political gain is a continuous issue. In an era of rapid technological advancement, we can observe global crises thousands of miles away. With this unprecedented level of access to information, we must be prudent to verify the truth of the narratives we consume online. Disinformation is sneaky and can be quite convincing.

The most convincing of narratives take snippets of real facts and strip them of their context. Although there is no Christian genocide in Nigeria, Nigerians of all faiths are being killed due to the terrorism crisis. This crisis will only be solved with unified efforts from all Nigerians, no matter their ethnic group or religion. Similarly, in the United States, the real threat of Christian nationalism will only be disarmed by collective effort across religious and cultural lines.

Sumaya Elkashif (M.A Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe, B.A Howard University, Human Rights Expert. EU/Africa, Afro-Diaspora Migration, & Conflict)

1. Shola Lawal, “Ted Cruz Blames Nigeria for ‘mass murder’ of Christians: What’s the Truth?,” Al Jazeera, October 8, 2025, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/8/ted-cruz-blames-nigeria-for-mass-murder-of-christians-whats-the-truth.
2. Kakanda, Gimba. “No, Bill Maher, There Is No ‘christian Genocide’ in Nigeria.” Al Jazeera, October 2, 2025. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/10/2/no-bill-maher-there-is-no-christian-genocide-in-nigeria.
3. Dachomo, Exekiel. “46K Views · 1.5K Reactions: Ezekiel Dachomo on Reels.” Facebook, October 15, 2025. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17MRsRH1fu/?mibextid=wwXIfr.
4. Campbell, John, and Asch Harwood. “Boko Haram’s Deadly Impact.” Council on Foreign Relations, August 20, 2018. https://www.cfr.org/article/boko-harams-deadly-impact.
5. Campbell, John, and Asch Harwood. “Boko Haram’s Deadly Impact.” Council on Foreign Relations, August 20, 2018. https://www.cfr.org/article/boko-harams-deadly-impact.
6. Mohn, Elizabet. “Christian Nationalism: Research Starters: EBSCO Research.” Christian Nationalism, 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/christian-nationalism.
7. “Understanding White Christian Nationalism.” Institution for Social and Policy Studies, October 4, 2022. https://isps.yale.edu/news/blog/2022/10/understanding-white-christian-nationalism.